patssle

I'm looking to buy a 1964 Mustang that was upgraded from the V6 to V8. The guy has only had it for a year, and doesn't know a lot of it's history. I've read the V8 is about 430 lbs. heavier than the V6.

Hypothetically speaking, if the suspension and brakes weren’t upgraded/changed with the engine upgrade, would the car still be fine and within tolerance, or is it pushing it?

Is there any easy way to tell to see if they were upgraded for the heavier engine?

Thanks!

andrewmp6

Well for one its a inline 6 not a v6 a v6 mustang wasn't made tell the mustang 2 body.Here is a list of everything you have to replace http://www.mustangandfords.com/howto...ade/index.html If it was me i wouldn't drive the car tell everything is changed over the brakes are way undersized and the front end will float around.The easiest way is count the lug nuts on each wheel if it has 4 walk away from it if its 5 front and back then it should be fine.

JamesW

When I bought my fastback over 10 years ago now, that's how it was setup. The car was an 6 cylinder car, but an old 302 has been installed. So the answer it, yes the car is safe, but marginally.

To do it right, there are several things that must also be addressed. Drum brakes are the same as a V8, but neither were the best for stopping power and the heavier V8 makes it worse. Plan on swapping to 5 lug disc brakes, either OEM or visit www.discbrakeswap.com .
The steering is the second item. The 6 cylinder steering is lighter duty than the V8 and should be replaced. Using stock Moog component when you change out the brakes, this will have you changing the Idler arm, pitman arm, drag link, and inner/outer tie rods. At the end of the day, with new steering and brakes, you'll be driving swell.

The third component is the rear end. The 6 cylinder comes with a 7.5" Salsbury rear axle. You would need to upgrade to and 8" or even 9" 5 lug rear end assembly.

Then with new 5 lug rotors come new wheels and tires....

it never ends!

2+2GT

The body was the same regardless of engine. The 64-66 6-cylinder had almost no mechanical components in common with the V8. If you still have 4-bolt wheels, it'd probably be easier to switch back to a 6 cylinder engine. A V8 Mustang with 6-cylinder VIN will never be worth as much as a V8 car. In fact, a 6 cylinder car with a V8 engine is probably worth less than an unmolested 6 cylinder car.

This is a Falcon, but the engine is right for you:

67t5ponycoupe

I will have to disagree on one point, I belive that a 6 cylinder car properly upgraded to a V8 is worth more than a 6 cylinder car. The work and expense to do the upgrade makes it worth the extra money. The I6 cars are not that easy to sell. Also the I6 cars are usually in much better condition because they have not been hotrodded and are just begging to be upgraded.

2+2GT

I will quibble only on this point:

Changing from I6 to V8 is not necessarily an "upgrade". The I6 with manual transmission will get 30 mpg, more if you install a T5 transmission. The 289 won't do that even with a tailwind.

67t5ponycoupe

I will agree with you on that point although I don't think many folks are buying classic mustangs for gas milage. I have owned a few I6 cars and and they are great get around buggies and properly tuned they do get great gas mileage and have plenty of power. I drove a 67 I6 car in San Diego for about 5 years and I could keep up with the 80 Mile and hour average speed and could even merge into traffic with no problem but I would have to floor it from the bottom of the ramp to have any chance of getting up to speed in time. I don't dislike them I just think more people are looking for the V8 cars.

2+2GT

A T5 would cure that.

2+2GT

Hmmm… Since the 289 only weighs about 460 pounds, that would make the 200 weight about 30 pounds. The Ford I6 actually weighs about 385 pounds, giving it a 75 pound advantage over the V8.

Joe1967

I thin he meant that the V8 WEIGHS 460, making it heavier than a i6